“?Arsenal are said to have had an initial bid for Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina rejected by the reigning Serie A champions, with the North London club being told to up their initial offer of £16m if they’re to have any chance of signing the 22-year-old.
Lemina only joined Juve permanently at the end of April, the Italians securing his permanent signature for a pre-agreed fee of around €9.5m at the end of a season-long loan move from Marseille.
New Arsenal transfer blow as bid for Juventus ace is rejected https://t.co/BgYgRKMqSL pic.twitter.com/nbiOZqF5LM
“?The Sun report that the Gunners have been told that the Gabon international will not be sold for anything less than £20m, with West Brom and Schalke also said to be interested in the former France Under-21 international.
Arsene Wenger’s primary targets for the remainder of the transfer window were expected to be a new centre-back and centre-forward, rather than packing his midfield with yet more talent – with his typical formation allowing him to start just two of Mohamed Elneny, Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin and Granit Xhaka.
#Lemina. Con classe. https://t.co/v8h9pRv4PL#JuveEspanyol
An opening weekend defeat to Liverpool – albeit by just a single goal in a 4-3 thriller – has not earned Wenger any further faith from his doubters, with injuries and fitness issues leaving him stuck with Calum Chambers and Premier League debutant Rob Holding partnered together in central defence as the club’s chase for another experienced defender continues to drag on.
The Sun’s report raises plenty of question marks though – from the way the newspaper’s ‘£16m vs £20m’ claims come eerily close to reports of the exact same figures in Euros from a few days before, to the casual carelessness of misspelling the name of Bundesliga club Schalke. Approach with caution.
For more from Chris when he’s not writing on 90min, follow him on Twitter at @ThatChris1209!“?
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